


03 - Sunset/Dusk

by TerraCorrupt



Series: 100 List [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 06:25:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15261381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TerraCorrupt/pseuds/TerraCorrupt
Summary: Shane outs Daryl as a werewolf in order to gain some control over the group at large and turn people against him. Rick intervenes, and Daryl reminisces about coming to the group with Andrea.Number 3 of a 100 list of themes.





	03 - Sunset/Dusk

_“He’s dangerous. We should put him down…”_

The words rang in Daryl’s head while he backed slowly away from the Pack he’d made his own since they came to this God forsaken hell hole… He’d protected them. Him and his brother protected them and made sure they had food. They hadn’t attacked the humans (despite the original plan), and he’d made himself useful by searching for their lost pup. She’d gotten herself lost in the forest and couldn’t find her way home. He’d spent hours and days sniffing for the little girl, and gotten himself injured…

But the distrust in the eyes of the humans he’d spent so much time with hurt. How could they think he’d turn on them after their months together? Daryl turned slightly, looking for where the door was in relation to him. If he could make it there, he could escape easily enough and come back that night to get his gear… So long as they didn’t string him up right then and there which Shane would want to do out by the big tree.

Daryl heard his brother’s voice in his head chastising him about letting himself be found out because he was sentimental about people and a soft wolf when he needed to be hard. It was true. He loved his Pack, no matter how much of his brother’s influence had kept them a little apart. No one had known when the two wolves would sneak out of camp and hunt in the woods late at night or would prowl just outside the view of their nightly sentry. Daryl himself would check inside each tent when the old man was watching the world before getting up on top of the RV with him and lounging. And just the last couple of days he’d been like a pet near Carl while the boy mourned for his girlfriend.

Now it seemed all his hard work was going to shit. No one wanted to take up for him… He was going to be thrown out or killed just because he wasn’t a human. Not like he was the only non-human in the group… Daryl took a deep breath through his nose while looking at Rick. He was the Pack’s Alpha male, more than Shane was now. But along with the Alpha female, Lori, they would make the decision and push for the others to go with it. He stared Rick down, expecting the deputy to speak up for him, or even the old man who he kept company on long sentry nights sometimes… Slowly, Daryl’s hand went to the bowie knife at his hip, expecting he’d need to fight his way out if the men started to come for him. Especially Shane. What was that asshole’s problem?

“No one’s being put down.”

Everything stopped when Rick started speaking. He was going to be the voice of reason this time around. Daryl stopped moving, looking up at the man expectantly. It was a step in the right direction.

“Especially not someone that’s put his life on the line to help get us this far.” Rick looked up slowly, his blue eyes settling on the werewolf, pinning him in place with an almost supernatural intensity for a human. “You’re no danger to us. Are you, Daryl?” Rick shifted subtly, his hand sliding down to the revolver at his hip. The unspoken sign to the man in question was enough to indicate what the answer needed to be. Trust but verify.

Daryl watched the man carefully, his eyes following the hand to the gun. He’d been shot and shot at and knew that Rick meant business. He shook his head vigorously, his chin and eyes dropping with a subservient nature. “No… Ain’t no danger to y’all.” He swallowed nervously, avoiding looking up at anyone for fear that he would see distrust and more hatred. When the eyes rose again there was an unwelcome sight just off to the side. Daryl turned his head enough that his blue eyes could lock with the dark eyes.

Shane stared back into the blue eyes of the werewolf. He would do whatever it took to protect Lori and Carl. He wouldn’t let a monster like that white trash get at his family, even if it meant he got injured. He was going to make sure that didn’t happen… But his partner. His best friend. His best friend wanted to trust a feral animal. Trust him around Lori and Carl? Just because he seemed kinda normal now, like he was tame. But cornered animals tended to lash out… The deputy took a deep breath in through his nose, the fingers of one hand curling into a fist. _I’ll watch him. I won’t let anything happen. Wish Rick could read my mind right about now. What is he thinking?_ He turned away from Daryl, leaning in to Rick’s ear. “This ain’t smart, Rick. What if he hurts Lori? Or Carl?”

“It’s settled.” Rick’s voice cut through the resistance once more. He decided on the matter and expected everyone to abide by it. He trusted Daryl not to attack them, despite being a cornered animal. Daryl had shown a great amount of loyalty, like a good… _Like a good dog… Damn it, Rick. It don’t matter what he is. Treat him like a human._ As soon as the man in question had broken from the house, he sighed and glowered at Shane. “We’ll watch him. Shane.”

***

Daryl appointed himself watch for the evening. He knew Shane would be watching him, so he picked a place as far from the camp as he could get, but still close enough to arrive almost instantly should the need arise. Which didn’t seem likely, considering the look of the farm. Swinging the crossbow up by the sling, he settled it on his shoulder and left the group of tents and the RV. The eyes burning holes in his back went unheeded, and he didn’t dare glance to those he thought liked him for fear that the wouldn’t see it in them anymore.

“Don’t wander off too far, mutt.”

Shane’s voice grated on Daryl. But he didn’t want to do anything that would make matters worse. Daryl just walked by heading for the big barn that they now had access to since the walkers were let out and taken care of. He put all his hatred for Shane into getting to that building while his senses flared out. Nothing seemed amiss just then, so perhaps it would be an uneventful night, and he could sit and thing about the future he had with the little pack. The only ones who didn’t know who he was were the children… Carl, now. And Hershel’s kids.

Daryl was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he almost didn’t hear a call of his name.

“Daryl! Hey, Daryl! You going on watch now?” It was the little boy. It was Carl. The little boy had been through a lot, and he’d tried to comfort him by being a faithful pet, because it was easier than being a human, since he already had two daddies. “Can you look for the dog I saw the other day? He’s a big black dog with silver fur on his chest and no collar. I told dad about him, but I don’t think he believed me. I want him to come with us because I don’t think anyone’s feeding him. I called him Blaze and he answered.”

The werewolf stopped and listened more carefully now. Carl wasn’t afraid of the dog he’d never met before. But that wasn’t true. He and the other children had been lost in the woods once before and shepherded by two wolf-dogs back to camp.  Daryl tossed his head back, then bobbed it in his characteristic affirmative nod. “I’ll look for ‘im.” He was pleased with the boy’s request. If Carl wasn’t afraid, the others wouldn’t be either. “Find ‘im some dog treats, okay?”

“Okay!”

Daryl smiled warmly at the boy, stepping closer. While he pushed his bow farther up on his shoulder, he reached out with the other hand to ruffle the short hair of the boy much to the child’s delight. “I heard Dale kept a stash of them Milkbones dogs are s’posed to like. Ask him if he’s got more.” The taller man smiled to himself when Carl ran off to find someone else to play with. He continued his way to the barn, content in the knowledge that he had at least one heart on his side.

***

Shane watched the exchange from back in the row of tents. He knew the wolf probably wasn’t a danger to anyone, but it was more of a threat to him that no one would go along with him as leader anymore. He frowned darkly and thought about getting up to intervene when Rick approached, kneeling beside him while checking the cylinder in his revolver. The gun was always kept loaded, but it never hurt to check.

“What’s on your mind, Shane?” Rick looked up at his partner. He trusted the other with his life and the lives of his family. Despite Lori having had an affair with the other officer, he didn’t blame either of them for what happened. He had a vague worry that the changing of the group dynamic would put himself and the other officer at odds with each other, but Rick was willing to keep things calm for as long as he could… Though Lori’s suggestion that he needed to get rid of him still weighed heavily on his heart.

“That damn dog, Rick. You sure you wanna risk letting Carl get that close to him?” He gestured with the knife in his hand that he’d been using to carve up a piece of wood. The frustrations had resulted in a sharpened piece of pine wood. “Look at him, Rick. Really look. That werewolf is dangerous, and you know it.” Shane interpreted the movements of the older man as conniving and deceptive though there was every indication from the child that it was not so.

Rick took a second to examine the pair interacting some distance away. He watched fondly as his little boy smiled at Daryl and spoke to him as a trusted member of the group. The little boy had no idea of what type of wild animal he was dealing with. But there was a trust from the child that the father could see from that distance, and the wild animal was more than willing to act like a friend for the little boy.

“I think you’re barking up the wrong tree, Shane. Daryl would never hurt Carl.” He pointed at the nodding Daryl was doing. “See? Carl is in no danger. He’s happy.” He didn’t react to the hair ruffling in the way Shane did. He noted that the pair separated easily, with Carl going to a task while Daryl continued to the barn where he disappeared. “Keep an eye on him if you want. But actin’ paranoid ain’t gonna make him calm down faster. If he’s that wild, why would you antagonize him?”

***

Daryl sat on the outer ledge of the barn. He let his legs dangle over open space without much thought. There wasn’t anything coming for them there at the farm. There werewolf sighed heavily and set the crossbow down beside him in the loft. Nothing was going to really bother him up there. He could be alone with his thoughts for the time being. _Shouldn’t even be here… Shoulda run away when you had the chance. Merle’s right. You are a bitch._

The line of thinking went no further when the scent of one of the females came wafting up. Daryl smelled her after he heard the door to the barn slide open. The wolf didn’t glance around at his visitor’s approach. He only shifted aside and allowed the woman to get into a comfortable spot near him. Of course, Andrea would have been the one to feel the need to voice her opinion when someone wasn’t nearby. “Your boyfriend won’t like you coming to visit me.” Daryl only looked up once she sat down.

The blonde woman leaned back against the barn and looked at the hunter of the group. She was quiet for a few moments. Andrea could see in Daryl’s blue eyes that he didn’t totally believe that she meant him no harm. But that was alright. He’d just have to sit there and listen to what she had to say for as long as she wanted to say things to him. She loved Daryl and trusted him as much as everyone else (except Shane) did.

“Daryl, I remember about a year ago when this all started… You weren’t with us yet.” She didn’t quite have his attention, or he gave no indication that she did. Was he even listening? “The kids all got lost in the woods, like Sophia did this last time.” The muscles on the man’s arms tensed and twitched. He was listening to her, and there was guilt in the solemn man. Andrea sighed internally, _Of course he feels guilty. He spent more time than anyone looking for her._ “They were gone all day, but no one thought about it, because we’d all seen them playing. But when the sun started going down, Carol and Lori started looking for them. They were looking everywhere around the camp and just beyond the tree line.”

The blonde paused briefly when Daryl sighed through his nose. She watched as he relaxed slowly, her presence no longer bothered him, despite the vibe he gave off whenever he was near anyone. Or he had just contented himself to listen to her ramble like when they were in the forest together. Andrea pressed her luck, continuing with the story. “But a little after the sun was totally down, there was a crashing through the trees, one big black wolf-dog burst through. Shane was ready to shoot him, until Carl came through, followed by the others. Behind the kids was a second wolf-dog, larger with silver fur. Shane didn’t shoot them, and they weren’t afraid of us. We fed them for about a week, and then they disappeared… I wish they’d stayed longer”

Daryl continued to stare out at the trees and the sun going down again. The weather today was the same as it was when he’d first met Sophia and Carl. He thought back to that time Andrea mentioned. They hadn’t been with the group, but he remembered the situation. The man narrowed his eyes slowly, thinking about the children. “We did stay longer.” He muttered. No matter what, all the kids had been scared. He remembered the scent of fear from them. Especially the Mexican kids. It’d taken some work, but Merle was finally convinced that if they brought the kids home, they’d get fed and could find a group to hook up with. “Them dogs was us. Merle an’ me.” He looked up at Andrea now, narrowing his eyes at her while he watched her take in the information. “We wasn’t lookin for them kids. We was lookin for food. Them kids got it for us from y’all, after Shane pointed a shotgun at me.” It was a cold-hearted way to describe the situation, but not entirely inaccurate.

_Daryl had emerged from the woods first when they came to approach anyone. Since Merle was stronger, he’d jump in from behind if it was necessary. The smell of fear from the little band had been unmistakable and the white boy took point on putting himself between the wolf and his friends. The black wolf stopped and watched the scene for a few seconds. The children were no danger to them, they were prey if there was a struggle. Dropping his head, he padded closer sniffing at the ground around the kids. He showed no aggression toward them either, only curiosity. They wouldn’t help if they were lashed out at._

_The boy that seemed to be their leader didn’t back down exactly but moved closer to his group as the large black wolf approached. Daryl got close enough to extend his nose at the boy. He sniffed lightly, giving an indication that he wouldn’t likely be attacking. This seemed to embolden the white boy to put his hand out as an offering of his own scent. The little ritual didn’t last long, with Daryl allowing himself to be touched and pet by first the boy, then the white girl, then the others. They all seemed fascinated to have a wild dog there that wanted to be around humans and talked about how pretty he was and how rough his fur felt._

_A light woof from the black one and caused a silver one to come out of hiding and approach from the back. His deeper woof startled the children, but they didn’t go far when Merle padded over with the same type of motions as his brother._

_“They’re from the same family,” one of the kids concluded, turning her attention to playing with the other wolf for a moment. “Maybe they can help us get home.” She looked down at Merle and stroked his cheeks lovingly. “Maybe Shane’ll let us keep them. We could have dogs, right? They’re supposed to be best friends.” The children missed the looks exchanged between the wolves while they decided that camp pets would be the way to go._

_The silver wolf woofed again and moved away from the kids first. He headed toward the line of trees, deciding it was time to move so they didn’t really turn into the pets being described. Daryl nuzzled at each child again, then followed his brother. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the children hesitate to follow, but the Mexican kids were the first to start after them. Soon, their leader was making his way to the front of the group where Daryl padded along. Merle had slipped from the lead to bring up the rear and move the children along at Daryl’s pace, which was slow enough for them all to keep up with. The sun was setting fast, and though the wolves could see well in the dark, humans couldn’t and would make things slower._

_He led the way to the camp, letting the white boy walk behind him. When he heard the camp getting closer, he stopped long enough to throw back his head and howl long and loud, the sound joined by his brother from behind. Daryl raced toward the sound of the camp. He’d known where it was from scouting it out before, but now he actively made his way there, the children following along behind the black wolf._

_In the low light of the forest, Daryl broke through the line of trees first, only to be confronted by a tan-skinned man holding a shotgun pointed straight at him. He paused and stared, the teeth drawing back over his muzzle as a threat to the human that he wasn’t afraid, though he didn’t advance. When the white boy came through and shouted at the tall human, the muzzle of the gun was lifted into the air and away from the little boy._

_Shane didn’t threaten the wolf-dogs anymore, because Carl ran in front of them and to the man, only to be waylaid by his mother who pulled him into a tight hug. Sophia was next, but she stopped long enough at Daryl’s head to give him a loving pat on the head before running into the safety of her mom’s arms. Daryl waited patiently while all the children came through. He only sat once Merle was by his side, so he could pant and catch his breath. They both heard Sophia telling Carol that the dogs helped them find their way back, and weren’t they beautiful? Could they keep them? Or at least give them treats for being good boys?_

_Daryl swung his head around to Merle, giving him a quick woof and nuzzle. The silver wolf made a huffing noise in return and sat down like they were both well-behaved dogs.  They each knew this was their best chance of getting food for the time being. That realization was cemented when Carl started asking his mom the same question about taking care of the dogs, despite Shane’s suggestion that it wasn’t a good idea, because they already looked like someone’s pets. But as a police officer, he knew the K-9 units were some of the most feared ones because of their ferocity._

The blonde woman stared at her companion for a moment. She’d never heard anything so callous out of the hunter’s mouth before. And that he’d known so many details about the arrival of the pair of wolf-dogs. She hadn’t mentioned that Shane was holding a shotgun, but Daryl seemed to know about it. And he’d known that the kids were the ones to push for the wolves being fed in the first place. Andrea looked away for several seconds, staring now at the tree line where Daryl was staring. Finally, she shook her head and stood up, deciding she was done with the conversation.

With the sun disappearing behind the trees, it’s tendrils looking like fire above the foliage, she moved to leave the barn, and the werewolf to his own devices. She knew she wasn’t in danger from him, nor was anyone else in the camp.

“I’m glad you came back to us. I’m sorry I didn’t speak up for you.”


End file.
